


Gratitude

by driftinganima



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 15:06:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6615241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/driftinganima/pseuds/driftinganima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She believed that she was no longer that vulnerable, tongue-tied girl she used to be. It was thanks to the gutsy classmate of hers that she aspired to be stronger. Ever since meeting him and being a witness to his unbreakable determination, she began taking extra hours to learn her family’s secret martial arts style.  However, her current circumstance was a big slap on her face that what her father had said might be, certainly, true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gratitude

**Author's Note:**

> Konoha Gakuen Den AU.

_**i. Climax and Denouement** _

 

Hinata didn’t - never - wanted to be saved.

From the bottom of her heart, she wanted to express her gratitude to the blond, blue eyed boy from her class. However, she thought that she was strong enough to stand on her own. She tried to fight back without wanting help from anybody, as to prove herself that she has become strong enough to face the natural troubles that the name of her family has brought to her. This was her second time to be abducted: the first time was when she was three.

She believed that she was no longer that vulnerable, tongue-tied girl she used to be. It was thanks to the gutsy classmate of hers that she aspired to be stronger. Ever since meeting him and being a witness to his unbreakable determination, she began taking extra hours to learn her family’s secret martial arts style; despite her father’s insults on how little to no progress she was making, she knew to herself that she was improving day by day, even for a bit. However, her current circumstance was a big slap on her face that what her father had said might be, certainly, true.

“Try to lay a finger on her and I will fucking kill you!” 

He was literally growling.

“Uzumaki Naruto, eh?”

One of her kidnappers smirked, a trench dagger wringed on the fingers of his right, fisted hand. “That Hyuuga bitch was unexpectedly strong, she was able to take down some of my men!” He cracked his shoulders. “But not strong enough to take me down. She was able to throw in some kicks and punches, so I had to repay her kindness.”

Naruto gritted his teeth as he looked at her. Creases formed on his forehead as he scrutinized the bruise on her right temple, the reddish graze on her left cheek; her uniform’s sleeves were ripped and he could easily make out the purple spots on her shoulders and arms, and she was tied on a cement post, back pressed firmly against the cold surface, feet about three inches above the floor.

“YOU BASTARD!” Naruto charged forward, rage propelling him towards the mastermind of this case. He was blocked by two henchmen, metal pipes in their hands. They swung towards him but he lunged to the right, the metal clanking against the dusty floor, its sound reverberating within the empty warehouse. In a swift motion, he landed a hard punch against the left person’s abdomen, and before he dropped to the floor, he kicked the other one on his side. They both fell on the floor, and only three henchmen were left standing, plus the mastermind. “Let go of Hinata!”

“As expected from the loudest and most annoying delinquent student from that shit of an excuse Konoha Academy!” The mastermind barked, and he inched closer together with the remaining henchmen. “Only you were able to make it this far! I had plotted a lot of my men just to secure that Hyuuga heiress, but you and your friends are pretty pesky.” He licked his lips. “She tried to negotiate, to keep the peace between my yakuza and hers, but I had to remind her that peace does not fit well in our world.”

Naruto’s hands were still curled into fists.

“She took our bait pretty easily! What an incredibly stupid girl.” He piped up, malicious eyes scanning her battered image from top to bottom.”Simply said that we would agree to her yakuza family’s terms so long as she talk with us personally, alone, as the successor. Heh, she would be our golden ticket to drain her own family’s money, what a fine ransom she is!”

Everything that he said was true, and her blunt head had finally gotten the best of her. It was during the noon of the same day where she had agreed to solve things diplomatically, but the light from the windows had indicated that it was almost sunset. As soon as she knew that things wouldn’t go her way, she thought of running away, but that would only lead to her excommunication from her clan as a result of cowardice. If only she had gotten a grasp of the situation earlier, she wouldn’t have ended in this, and wouldn’t have caused enormous trouble to her friends.

“I will definitely clobber you…” Naruto nailed his glare on his prey. “I don’t give a fucking damn about your family’s evil schemes–all you do is cause pain and despair to the people of this town! And now that you have hurt one of the most precious people ib my life, you’re going to suffer for it!” He sprinted towards them, his fists ready to land on their faces.

“Let me see you try!”

As if on cue, the remaining henchmen each took out a gun and fired at Naruto.

The first shot almost hit his left foot, and he momentarily stopped on his tracks.

“Naruto-kun!” She screamed, her cracked voice filling the warehouse.

Naruto’s eyebrows furrowed. He could feel the pain in her voice, and knew that he had to end it quickly. There was no time for him to play around and act all flashy–he began running at top speed. He made his way towards the left-most man, and circled his way behind him. His back was now facing Hinata, but from the corners of his eyes, he saw the mastermind running towards Hinata’s post. I need to hurry, he impatiently reminded himself.

The man raised his gun and pinpointed it on Naruto’s forehead, but Naruto slammed a strong wrist against his perpetrator’s wrist to slant the angle. In a fraction of a second, he clicked the gun, and although it didn’t hit Naruto, it sped towards Hinata, the bullet faintly grazing her left arm. She gasped, the slit on her skin burning as blood oozed out. Naruto, wondering why Hinata yelped, glanced behind him and quickly had a grasp on what just happened.

 _I have to disarm them!_ With the same hand, he held the gunman’s wrist forcefully, urging him to loosen his grip. Before he could re-secure his hold on the gun, Naruto yanked it away, slid it meters across the floor away from their crowd, and knocked out the man with a single blow on his nose.

 _Next!_ The guy at the middle began firing at him, too, and Naruto ran towards him with his head ducked, carefully moving to a position that would disallow any chance of them shooting at Hinata. He moved in closer, but before he could blow a heavy punch on his abdomen, the man was able to shoot at the space below his left shoulder. He ground his teeth together as he tried to ignore the searing pain coursing its way through his body. Naruto lost his balance and began falling forward, but before his second enemy could call his victory, he used his fall as an advantage to get closer, and before his enemy knew it, Naruto was already below him, hammering the top of his head on his enemy’s chin. The man was caught in surprise, and before he could recover, Naruto finally punched his abdomen with his right hand.

Hinata bit her lower lip. She couldn’t feel her arms and feet anymore: in fact, she has gone numb, and she had to bite her lip to see if she was truly conscious. She watched the scene in front of her with blurred eyes, and if only tears could form, she would have cried from gratitude of being saved, but mostly, out of frustration of being unable to get herself out of this situation.

The pain coursed through him now as he lunged towards the last henchman. He glanced at Hinata, who was watching him intently, but her eyes weren’t the same, bashful orbs that bore on him every time they met. There were circles and tear tracks under her eyes, and he hated it. He screamed, pouring energy to every nerve of his feet. He jumped, and before the other could mark him with a bullet, Naruto finished him with a kick on his head. The last henchman dropped on the floor with a reverberating thud, and the only people left standing were Naruto, Hinata, and the cause of all this misery.

“You sure are pesky,” the Yakuza leader’s face was free from any sign of mirth. He removed the weapon from his left hand, allowing him to grasp a good handful of Hinata’s tangled hair.

“Hinata—!”

Hinata’s breathing was heavy, the pain throbbing tremendously that she knew she was already half-dead. She remembered how she held her ground as soon as they started attacking her, but also recalled how the mastermind was able to anticipate her next actions and had the opportunity to knock her out and tie her there. She could feel the heaviness of her chest, as well as the gravity pulling her to the ground. Tears escaped from the corners of her eyes even if she was already tired from crying.

“Probably I don’t care about the ransom anymore,” the leader said, then angled Hinata’s head towards him, his breathing just inches away from her pale, agape lips. “This bitch is enough of a reward.”

“Get your hands off her…” Naruto growled under his ragged breathing, bloodshot eyes impaled against his enemy’s.

The hair on his enemy’s nape rose, and Naruto did not miss the slight hesitation - the small cringe - that the leader failed to hide. However, he piped back as he tugged on Hinata’s hair, inducing a wince from her. “I said, I’d like to see you–”

Naruto leapt forward and threw a punch on his face with his left hand, and the enemy couldn’t even have the chance to figure out how Naruto could still punch with a heavily wounded arm. He skidded on the floor and his back bounced against the wall, blood oozing out of his broken nose.

“You’ll pay for this!” He exclaimed, sliding his fingers in the holes of his trench daggers. Regaining his composure, he guarded his chest with his armed knuckles, waiting for Naruto to come closer. He took a few steps backwards.

“Shut up!” Naruto threw another punch, but this time, his enemy was faster, and smarter. The leader easily avoided the attack. _He’s fast!_ Naruto lunged, missing the deadly daggers that attempted to severe his head. He knew, then, how Hinata lost—he always believed in her strength, she knew where to land her attacks, but she must have been really exhausted to fight the top honcho after fighting against many men.

Naruto ducked and circled his leg, aiming for the other’s ankle, but this too was intercepted. He missed his attack as soon as the leader jumped up, his foot banging against Naruto’s jaw. The blonde was thrown aback, but to his surprise, he was pinned against the wall, his enemy’s right, armed knuckle biting and grinding on his left shoulder. The gunshot wound bled tears that ran the length of Naruto’s arm, trickling against the floor. “Kh—!”

“N-Naruto-kun…” Hinata’s muffled voice reached him. She couldn’t see him, but she could still hear the fight a few feet from her back.

“Does this hurt?” The Yakuza boss drilled both of the trench daggers against his shoulders, and Naruto let out a gasp. “I’d like to hear you scream, you infamous delinquent!”

“Naruto-kun!” Hinata called out, but her throat was very sore that her screaming voice was like a wheeze. “HEY!” She tried to shout once more, her tears rolling on her cheeks. It stung the wounds on her skin, but it didn’t matter. “G-Get off Naruto-kun, i-it’s me that you want, right?” She tried to sound brave, but the shaking in her voice easily gave her away.

The leader tilted his head to the side. “That’s right, princess. But after I bring down this knucklehead friend of yours, that’s when I get back and toy with you,” he said, the mirth back in his tone. He was enjoying the slow torture, and he was already imagining the sound of Naruto’s shoulder bones breaking, and ideas on what he would do to Hinata after all the action began flashing in his mind. He leaned in closer to Naruto’s ear, the smile on his lips resilient. “You hear that, boy?” He chuckled. “I’m going to _toy_ with this girlfriend of yours. Remember that.” He made sure that his message was sent across Naruto’s stupid head, before he leaned away from him.

Naruto’s body stopped shaking, his head hung low.

“What now, boy? Giving up, eh?” He pressed the trench daggers further against his shoulders, but Naruto didn’t protest. “I guess no one has told you yet not to mess with a Yakuza family, most especially, the leader. I commend you for going this far enough—”

His speech was cut short when Naruto landed a headbutt on his forehead, and in a heartbeat, he pushed himself against the wall, fisted hands impaling themselves on the leader’s face relentlessly. For a brief moment, the leader saw the malice and anger in Naruto’s eyes, and he immediately knew why the young lad was making a name in various yakuza families.

Naruto kicked his enemy, his rage fueling every inch of his body, demonstrating his strength with every blow that he gladly offered. He continued punching him, his hands already smudged with his own blood as well as the Yakuza leader’s. “Try to say that again!” He yelled, voice dripping with fury. “Don’t mess with us!” He forced his fist upwards against the other’s chin, and the leader’s body thudded on the floor, a few feet away from Hinata.

Finally seeing where they were, Hinata dragged her eyes open and digested the scene before her. Naruto was undeniably hurt but he was the one who was standing up; but there’s a certain flair in him that scared her. He was looking down on the Yakuza leader, who was all face-bloody, and immediately she knew who was winning. Through all the blood, Hinata saw that his eyes were darted open, and he was unconscious.

She took a deep breath, and was almost relieved until she saw the way how Naruto pulled back a folded arm, his red fist as hard as a rock.

Her eyes widened as Naruto swung his fist forward to meet the paralyzed leader’s head.

“NARUTO-KUN!”

Hinata firmly pursed her eyes, tears blinked away from her face, her weary shoulders trembling. Naruto was out of himself, and it scared her, but more than that, she wanted him to stop because she knew that Naruto wasn’t the kind of person who relished in hurting others. Mostly, she didn’t want to make him bear all the consequences by finishing a person whom he shouldn’t have dealt with—it was her fight, but he and their friends got into the mess that she wasn’t able to fix.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Naruto’s fist was a few inches away from the boss’ face. She wasn’t able to hear a crashing sound, and she was sure that she was able to stop him at the right moment. She searched for Naruto’s eyes, and when she noticed that he was immobilized, she called him again. “Please, stop…”

Naruto gradually turned to her, and it seemed like he was finally aware of what he had done. He stood up straight, looked at the boss again, and thought that maybe he went overboard. Guilt began welling in his chest, and hadn’t Hinata stopped him, he might have had killed someone.

Tears continued to stream out of her eyes, as she said his name, “Naruto-kun… I’m… okay now… let’s stop…” She forced out a smile.

Naruto looked at her once more, and was horrified to hear from her that she was fine even if she wasn’t. He could see the burn on her skin made by the tight ropes, the scratches, bruises, grazes, and all the wounds on her body, and here she was, convincing him that she’s alright just to make him stop. He curled his fists, got one of the trench daggers, limped his way towards her, and began to cut the ropes.

He started on the ropes tying her ankles against the cement. She must have endured a lot, he thought. He knew that she must have been exasperated, having been hauled off the ground for hours. Their operation to save her took around three to five hours, from looking for her all around the city to the actual fight. Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, Shino, and Sasuke came with him, and they were all busied by the number of henchmen that tried to block their way. He let the rope fall on the ground, and he started cutting the thick bunch of ropes that attached her waist and wrists to the wall.

The burn marks were more visible by now. Somehow, the guilt from what he did to the Yakuza leader was already ebbing away. _When people are protecting something truly precious to them, they can truly become as strong as they need to be._ Remembering these words from a long lost friend settled the demons inside his head, and he knew that all people have something, or someone, to protect, and what he did was to fight for Hinata. _The prospect of protecting people important to you is both empowering and dangerous._ Naruto thought to himself, as the bundle of knots began to loosen. I… should be more careful next time.

He noticed the slashes on her arms as soon as the knots from her waist and wrists were removed. He knew that starting from here, it could become really tricky in terms of keeping her balance. The knots on her upper arms and chest also held her in place, but the gravity would surely start to pull on her harder this time.

“Hinata,” he said, he looked up to her battered face. “Just a bit more, okay?”

She weakly nodded at him, and waited as he cut the remaining ropes.

Naruto peeked at her injuries, particularly where the bullet had grazed her. His brows scrunched forward, as he noted her slim and meek-looking figure. When they were kids, she was even as small as he was, but now that she’s older, her shoulders were not only bearing her own weight, but the weight of her Yakuza family’s burdens as well. He wondered how she could handle it on her own, knowing how her father had been treating her for the past few years. Neji was the one who asked for his help regarding Hinata’s individual actions, telling him the details of the recent threats to their clan’s main family. Naruto knew that Hinata’s abrupt decision to face the opposing family on her own was an attempt not to be acknowledged as a good leader by her father, but to prove to herself that she could do things on her own, for her family, in a peaceful manner.

Finally, Naruto was able to cut the last strand of rope, and before Hinata could fall on the floor, he caught her in his shoulders. She was unconscious, and he could feel himself slipping away, but he held her close to him, offering any amount of comfort and warmth that he has, despite himself almost torn to pieces.

Hinata’s shoulders slumped, and she fell to deep slumber.

 

**_ii. Aftermath_ **

 

Hinata’s eyes fluttered open, and the first thing that she saw was the blue sky.

The curtains were ribboned to the sides, revealing the fleeting clouds and the birds making V formations in the sky. _They’re free…_ she mindlessly thought. _Free…?_

Her half-lidded eyes shot open and she immediately sat up, making the person who was seated on the chair beside her bed jerk. She searched for ropes, bloody bodies, a dim warehouse, and the setting sun, but she was greeted by the sight of a white bed, and Neji’s face hovering in front of her.

“Hinata-sama?” His white orbs focused on hers, and as soon as his voice reached her ears, the pain in her gut, arms, thighs, and calves all came gushing in, and she trembled. “Please don’t move too much, Hinata-sama…” Neji placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her to the bed.

She started to sweat profusely, and she looked at Neji, her eyes half-closed. “Neji nii-sama… where am… I?” And she remembered the warmth, the person who came to save her from her disgrace, and she winced. “Naruto-kun…?”

“Everyone’s safe. Your Lord Father is already making arrangements with the other clan. He said he couldn’t visit until everything has been settled.” Hinata noticed the disappointment in Neji’s eyes, but as much as she wanted to tell him that it’s alright, she didn’t seem to have the power to do so, as her energy quickly sapped to nothingness.

“Neji, is Hinata—”

“Naruto, call the nurse, quick!”

_Naruto-kun…_

It seemed like forever had passed by, the second time she opened her eyes.

Her body pain seemed to have subsided, but her chest and stomach were still hurting a lot. She remembered that there was where she was continually kicked by the boss, and by then, she wondered when she could go out of the hospital and resume her school duties. For some reason, she wanted to go back to studying even though it was the summer break, but at the back of her mind she knew that she would be under house arrest as soon as she gets her dispatchment from the hospital.

Without even attempting to sit up, she looked around her. The wall clock revealed that it was already noon. _Nobody’s here…_ she said to herself, but noticed a few chairs surrounding the left side of her bed, each with a bag on it. A particular black coat captured her interest.

She looked at her right side, and saw a vase with short stalks of sunflowers. It instantaneously made her smile, and she gingerly reached for the small, lavender paper box beside the vase. Inside the box were folded letters from her classmates, and she began reading all of them. As she read through, she felt the warmth of her classmates’ wishes for her immediate recovery. Sakura wished for her wellness so that they could have their lunchouts together with Ino and Tenten. She was also touched by the messages of the boys—it seemed uncharacteristic of them to send letters. Shikamaru’s letter was there, who recommended her to play mind games while recovering. Chouji suggested that she eat more potatoes, and Sasuke (to her surprise) sent a short message of “Get well soon.” Kiba’s and Shino’s were very long—each of their letters reprimanded her of her reckless actions, and that she could depend on them if ever she’s in a crisis. They had longer messages than that, and it was the first time that she knew that Shino talked a lot when it’s not personal.

Hinata wasn’t able to find any message from Naruto.

She placed the box beside her face, and began rereading Kiba’s and Shino’s letters.

“…wasn’t my fault that you left your wallet during lunch time.”

“At least bring extra money!” Kiba tried to hush his naturally loud voice as he reprimanded Shino.

“Like I told you…” Shino stopped on his tracks. “Hinata’s awake.”

Kiba scratched his head. “You didn’t tell she’s awake, you were talking about my wallet!”

“No, she’s awake.” Shino stuffed his hands inside his pockets and walked nearer to her bed.

Kiba’s eyes darted to her frail frame, and he clumsily made his way through the number of chairs on her bedside. “HINATA! You made us sick with worry!”

Hinata tried to smile, but her lips only trembled, and her tears gave in. “Kiba-kun… Shino-kun…”

Kiba tried to hold back his tears, and he said, “Cry if you want to cry, Hinata! Your face is weird!”

“You’re the one who’s about to cry, though.” Shino pointed out, and compared to Kiba, he fluidly made his way beside his female best friend. “But Hinata, don’t cry too much. Your ribs will—”

Hinata winced.

“—hurt. You pretty much cracked two of them,” Shino continued.

Hinata nodded. “It’s difficult, but I really want to enjoy this moment with you, guys.” Tears began streaming from her eyes again. She was starting to feel heavy again, and she thought that probably she had sedatives for her to be able to sleep through the pain.

“Speaking of enjoying the moment!” Kiba beamed. “They’re all at the hospital’s cafeteria! Naruto will be overjoyed once he sees you awake!” He left the room.

“Ah, and he forgot to bring his wallet.” Shino sighed.

Hinata fought back against her heavy lids, and she looked at Shino. “What… happened while I was asleep?” She noticed the bandage on Kiba’s knuckles before he left, and Shino might be hurt somewhere, too, but his big clothes wouldn’t show.

“Well,” Shino adjusted his glasses. “Most of us also recuperated in this hospital, as we also got injured. Don’t blame yourself, it was our choice to help you out.”

 _Shino-kun really knows me well…_ She was a bit embarrassed, but she was thankful for Shino’s great understanding.

“Anyway. Neji was almost unscathed except for a few grazes, as well as Chouji and Shikamaru. Kiba broke his fist because he missed his target and punched a wall a tad too hard. Sasuke was a bit better than Naruto—according to the police reports, he also did a lot of fighting. Naruto, though. He was the last to recover, he just got out a week ago and he’s still under observation, though he’s already allowed to move around.” Shino paused, as to see if Hinata was following, and then continued, “His right shoulder was fractured, and it took quite a time to heal the gunshot on his shoulder. The doctors are very baffled how or why, but thankfully, it only hit his muscles—Naruto was very lucky that it was just a bullet impact. He wouldn’t be able to use it for the martial arts classes too much, though, and most likely, he would be waved from it for at least a month or two.”

A scowl formed on her lips. It was her fault.

“Don’t think too much about it. He said it’s worth it.” Shino was able to read through her once more, but it wasn’t enough to assure her that everything’s fine. “Anyway, Sakura, Ino, and Tenten were the ones to inform the police, and when the police didn’t want to believe them - or more likely, we think they didn’t really like meddling with Yakuza wars - Sakura lashed out at them. I heard from Tenten that Sakura was really scary.”

Hinata’s thoughts were still hung up on Naruto’s injuries, but as she looked at the vase of flowers, she was relieved even for a bit.

“Did they say how long I need to stay here in the hospital?” Her voice was only as audible as a whisper. “How long have I been here?”

“You’re already at the middle of your second week,” Shino said, and he knew she was about to fall asleep. “They’re still assessing how long you have to stay here, as how as they are assessing Naruto and Sasuke. As much as it frustrated Neji, he wasn’t able to follow Naruto and Sasuke in the fight, because he had to go back to the Hyuuga compound after the opposing family declared a bomb threat.”

_So… the fight was that serious, huh… Looks like I really messed up…_

“Close your eyes, Hinata. Rest well.” Shino withdrew one of his hands, and patted Hinata’s fringes. It felt… soothing.

“Hinata!” Naruto entered the room with Kiba. His arms were splintered to support his damaged shoulders, but Hinata was already asleep before she could see it.

It was also during that late afternoon when Hinata third regained her consciousness.

Her eyes lazily flitted towards the window. She thought that Neji might have enjoyed watching the birds flying, which explains the curtains which were ribboned at the sides. She tried to move to adjust herself on the bed. She still had difficulties in moving, but her ribs and chest didn’t hurt as intense as the first time she woke up.

She gently pulled the blanket towards her chin, and as she did, she caught a glimpse of a mop of blond hair. Her heart began beating erratically, and before the machines would beep in an alarming tone, she was able to calm herself.

Naruto’s arms were splintered, and the arm sling hung awkwardly on his shoulders. He was asleep, and she could see drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. She would have giggled, only if it weren’t for Shino’s reminder that crying would hurt her ribs. She thought that probably, the same principle worked when it came to laughing.

A bird landed on the window sill from the outside, and weirdly enough, it started pecking on the glass.

Amused by the bird, Hinata’s focus shifted on it. She wanted to reach out to the bird and touch its beak. Sometimes at home, she would place seeds on her window and wait for birds to come. Some birds were afraid to be touched, while some didn’t seem to care.

“H-Hinata…?”

Hinata’s eyes bolted open, and she turned to him. “Naruto-kun…”

With a lot of difficulty, Naruto leaned on his right shoulder and wiped away his drool. Hinata noted that he might still won’t be able to use his hands that much during his rehabilitation. Naruto transferred from his chair to where Neji always sat, so that he could go closer to Hinata. That was the time that she realized that it was only her and him inside the room. She hoped that Naruto wouldn’t pay much attention to the EKG monitor.

“Hey,” The smile on his face was pained, and he bore his eyes on her. Her eyebrows scrunched up. “Are you feeling better now?”

It was as if the weight on her chest doubled. There he was, his arms and shoulders supported by an arm sling—he was the one who went into a lot of trouble for an unnecessary cause. The guilt restarted on gnawing on her insides again, that she didn’t even notice that it showed on her face.

“Hey, hey! You’re safe now, so you don’t need to worry anymore!” The anxiety on Naruto’s face was still visible even if he tried to cheer her up. “Everybody’s recovering now, and we were all waiting for you to wake up. They would be really happy once they know you’re already awake.”

For the first time, Naruto’s words were not able to relieve her. In fact, it only pained her even more.

“I’m… I’m sorry, Naruto-kun…” she suppressed the tears that tried to escape her eyes. “I caused trouble—” she winced at the sting from her ribs.

“That’s why I said don’t worry about it, right?” Naruto was half-panicking now, as he was well aware not to make her laugh too much or cry, as Neji had instantly reminded everyone every time he had the chance. Lately, he had become very stingy when it came to family matters particularly to Hinata. “Please don’t cry, Neji will kill me if he knew I made you hurt your ribs…” He made a pleading face.

Hinata pursed her lips. Her ribs were causing her a lot of trouble, as well as her friends. She cast her eyes on Naruto’s arm sling, unable to look at him direct to the eyes. “I thought… I thought that it could be settled amicably… and prove to myself that I’ve become a better person…” She said in a low voice, as she was concerned about the physical pain in her body, as well as the emotional hurt. “But because of that, everyone was put into danger. I was very stupid. I thought… that I’ve become stronger… I believed that I could be… someone like you, Naruto-kun…” She stopped for a while, realizing that she has startled to babble a bit more openly towards him, of all people. “You were so head-on, that even if you ramble a lot with people, you’re still friends with them. And if you could settle matters by talking, I thought that probably I could, too…But… I’m not good enough. I knew it. I began realizing how much I lacked after I was captured by them. I never thought that… they would try to do such… a horrible thing…” She wanted to cry like she usually did as a kid, when she would go alone in her room and cry on her bed without wanting to show it to her relatives, especially to her Lord Father and Hanabi.

She lifted her eyes and leveled it to Naruto’s, and said, “As I thought, I’m really no good…”

When she looked at him, the anxiety on his face was deepened. He was staring at her, straight into her eyes, and it was as if she was locked by his deep-blue gaze.

She had little time to cringe when Naruto suddenly inched his face closer to her, his forehead creased. “Hey, that’s not true.”

Thankfully, after saying that, Naruto withdrew, his back firmly pressed against the backrest of the chair. “I still don’t understand this yakuza war crap, but Neji told us that because of what you did, one of the _unworthy_ yakuza families was finally taken care of.” There was a pout on his face, the same expression that he unawarely does whenever he’s confused. “They have been threatening other clans as well. They were quite difficult to track, but hey, because of what you did, they were weeded out!” His expression freshened up to his huge, toothed grin. “You are awesome, Hinata!”

Slowly, Hinata was able to digest the information. She was able to help tracking and taking out one of the most troublesome families?

“But…. but everyone’s…” Her sight perched on his arm sling again.

Naruto noticed where she was looking at. At first, he was perplexed, but then he said out loud, “Don’t mind it! We were very happy to help you in a situation! Of course, who would want to leave a friend behind, right?”

There was silence inside the room, except for the chirping of the birds outside. It was starting to get dark.

Naruto stood up and said, “I’ll turn on the lights—Hi-Hinata?”

Tears were streaming down her face, and although her ribs did hurt, she couldn’t stop herself from crying. “If… If only I can apologize to everyone right now… but I’m really… really happy…” She rubbed the tears away from her face. “I-I shouldn’t cry! Everybody… worked hard…”

Naruto went back to her. He laid his eyes on her, and a smile painted his lips. He let out a soft sigh, and bent down, until his forehead was already touching hers. “Sorry, Hinata. This is the least I could do now, can’t use my hands that much.” He stayed like that for five good seconds, his shadow cast above her. “Just remember that you have us to count on. Okay?” Hinata closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of Naruto’s forehead as how she basked in his warmth when he helped her out from the ropes.

Naruto straightened his back, went to the light switch, and used his forehead to flick it on.

The room brightened up, as did Hinata.

“Yes!”

_Thank you, Naruto-kun._

She would never think of doing things selfishly on her own again.

 

**_iii. In His Eyes_ **

 

“Can’t use your hands that much, huh…”

As soon as Naruto went out of Hinata’s room, Sasuke, who was being supported by a clutch, stood at the side of the door.

“O-oi! Sasuke! Why were you listening?!” Naruto lowered his voice as he hissed at Sasuke.

Sasuke simply raised a brow at him and smirked. “How do you pee, then?” He threw a knowing look at Naruto, and Naruto’s face and ears turned red.

“You were watching, you bastard!”

“No, I’m not interested in your love life, you idiot.” Sasuke waved his free hand at him. “Kakashi visited me and told me to tell you that that Tsunade wanted to see you. To check on your wounds, I think.”

Naruto was still pouting. “That Old Hag Tsunade.”

That evening, Naruto went back to their hospital room. He was sharing his space with Sasuke; Kiba used to stay there, too, but as soon as his fist got healed, he was allowed to go home.

Sasuke was on his rehabilitation schedule, so he was alone for the moment. He sat on the chair beside the window, and he looked at the moon from a distance. His stomach grumbled: dinner would be served by a nurse, and since he couldn’t use his hands for a long time unless for bathroom activities, he was still required to be fed by a nurse. Sometimes, though, when his buddies would go over, they would feed him while horsing around.

Tonight was supposed to be another empty night, but he felt… satisfied.

The days before the operation, he was already able to notice the slow shift of Hinata’s demeanor. Usually, she would be shy around anyone, and for some weird reason she really would make her way to avoid or keep a distance from him, but then it began changing. She would stay abash, but for not too long, because the blush on her face would suddenly disappear as soon as she put on a serious expression on her face.

Once, he saw her talking with someone from inside a car, just by the gates of their school. It was raining that day, but she uncharacteristically didn’t have an umbrella. Her hair made her look a lot more mature, and her eyes were as cold as ice. Also, she wasn’t with Kiba and Shino, and it was enough for him to wonder, and to be concerned.

Naruto tried approaching her through sneak attacks, but unlike the usual, she wouldn’t go as red as tomato whenever he put his face close to hers (which would earn him a golden ticket to Sakura’s punch). That was when he knew that something was wrong. He also attempted to talk it out with her twice, just in case she would open up a bit and be relieved by what could be the problem, but for both times she was the one to end the conversation, saying that she had family matters to do.

She sure was a busy person, and although he was concerned by her current disposition, he started becoming curious. That was the moment when he began poking Neji and also attempted to strike a conversation, but he would only earn a glare, and a light sparring session with him. He didn’t back down, though, because Neji would open up to him bit by bit every after session.

The more he talked with Neji, the more he was unknowingly drawn to her. Hinata’s stature, for Naruto, seemed to be frail, especially how shy, timid, and gentle that she was. But every time he remembered that moment when she was talking with someone while the rain drizzled on her, he knew that something’s really up, and he wanted to know more about her.

Probably, too, it was through the sparring sessions that Naruto was able to earn Neji’s trust, which led the Hyuuga to tell him about the family’s plight. Everybody was more than willing to help, and although a few received more than a scratch, they were able to do it successfully.

After that, though, he really looked forward to see her and take care of her, but after he knew that he wouldn’t be able to use his arms and hands for quite a long time, there was more disappointment after knowing that he wouldn’t be able to look after her, than after knowing that he couldn’t practice martial arts, try a bit of hero work, and spar with his friends for days.

He was really happy when they were finally able to talk. As expected, she was blaming a huge portion of all the commotion to herself, despite knowing the good that it brought her family. He still couldn’t grasp some aspects of her family’s traditions, but for Naruto, one thing’s for sure.

“I’ll always be there for her, no matter what!”

Naruto made his oath to the moon, and promised that he would visit her tomorrow, and the following days as well, first thing in the morning.


End file.
